I've been thinking of building an N scale layout just to see if I can still manipulate the stuff. I bet I could.

I remember that era as well. When I was in the Army I built a layout that could be shipped in two locker boxes when I got re-assigned to a new duty station. I did go in for the Kadees, both couplings and wheels; my first lesson in standardisation making the operation far more reliable.

The two things that impress me about railways are the mass and the length. In O, I felt I had the mass. N is all about the length. HO or OO never appealed to me because you lost both.

Another thing that got me about N is how they could print the lettering so neatly and legibly in that size now fifty years ago. Just lovely graphics; could stare at them for hours, at least the majority of what was on offer then had impressive printwork.